Saratoga Clay Arts Center
SCAC is a personable program and arts center with it all in one building! The second floor of the center is housing for two resident artists. On the main floor is the central community studio where classes and workshops are taught. Walking down the main hall, you arrive at a sun lounge room and studio kitchen as well as a small pottery shop. The rest of this main hall leads to many personal studios where local ceramic artists rent workspace. At the other end of the community studio, you can reach the glaze lab and kiln room. Next to that is a nice gallery space. On the lower level is the resident studios, raw materials storage, photo setup and more in the works to be ready by summer. When I was there, it was under renovations. They plan to create another kiln room in the lower level so residents do have to go up stairs with unfired work. They also want to create a kids classes studio and more personal workspaces. I’m looking forward to seeing it all finished!
Artists can apply for a three month residency during the summer or a year long residency. They have gas, salt. soda, raku and electric kilns and only go mid-high fire. There isn’t set up for mixing your own clay, but the clay they order and use there hasn’t gotten any complaints. Resident responsibilities include 15 hours of work for the SCAC studio and 15 hours in your own studio. You must have some teaching experience as some of the responsibilities include teaching your own classes. Great program for artists coming out of undergrad looking for a place to work and make.
Residents receive a $200/month stipend, modest housing, a semi-private studio space and free firings. Residents also have an open invitation to attend all classes and workshops during their residency and opportunities to teach adult and youth classes and private lessons for competitive compensation. Artists in residence have a solo show at the end of their residency in the gallery space. If NCECA is within driving distance, SCAC will pay for resident’s travels to and from NCECA and hotel accommodations.
Over all, I had a great time getting to know the people there and seeing the classes in action! Saratoga is a cool city too with lots of horse statues about. Solid residency program for emerging artists.
